Omar Barghouti, cofounder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, says there are many steps people around the world can take to try to hold Israel accountable for its rights abuses against Palestinians. “The most important thing is to act within your sphere of relative influence to end complicity, to do no harm,” Barghouti told Al Jazeera. “That’s the most profound, ethical obligation – especially when faced with such unspeakable crimes like the genocide in Gaza.” Launched in 2005, the BDS movement aims to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territory, ensure equal rights for Palestinian citizens of the country, and respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees. While consumer boycotts are part of the movement, “it is not enough to act alone”, Barghouti said. “To be effective BDS has to be done collectively – en masse.” He added: “Israel has shown itself to be a rogue state in front of the whole world and this has [led] many to enact sanctions [and] to enact support for boycotts and divestment. Divesting from companies that are complicit is also a very important part of BDS.”
